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WASHINGTON, DC – Finally, some straight dope about selling dope.

There’s a ton of cash in selling drugs, not that this should be a career choice, of course, but only a few live the life of luxury, of course. The rest could make more money slinging burgers for minimum wage.

On average, the head of a local drug gang can pull in $142,308 a year. That comes $68.42 an hour. And it’s tax-free.

But the pay really drops off at the next level with the enforcers, the treasurers, and the runners making $17,174 a year, or $8.26 an hour. Based on a 40-hour work week, of course.

The ones with direct customer contact, the one’s working on the streets and taking all the risks, make diddly-squat.

The Treatment 4addiction folks figure the foot soldiers $4,756 a year, or $4.57 an hour.

The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour.

Hey, a cashier at a fast food joint can make about $24,000 a year, doing basically the same thing: Taking orders from drive-up customers and getting their money, knowing they’ll be coming back for more.

The big difference, besides the fact that selling drugs is illegal, is that selling burgers is not a fast-lane job on the highway to hell.